BGJ13: Professional Game

Shusai v. Karigane, 1926

This game was played in 1926 between two of the leading players of
the time, and has been admired ever since as an example of how Go should
be played. Shusai, the last of the traditionally-elected Honinbo and
Meijin, dominated the Go scene in the first years of the century.
Karigane, though not so well known, was the leading player of the
Kiseisha Academy.

The game was played as the first of a series of matches between
Kiseisha and Nihon Ki-in, and as such was of great importance to the
academies as well as to the players. They had met twice before in
important games, winning once each.

The quality and excitement of the play, as you will soon appreciate
as you go through the game, were more than worthy of the importance of
the occasion. After a calm beginning the two masters embark on a
seemingly decisive hand-to-hand fight like beginners. Black loses a
large group of stones, but the result is still in doubt; the life of
nearly every stone on the board is called in question. This is a very
exciting as well as a very instructive game.

Black 7-11: This joseki is rather out-of-keeping with his
influence-seeking move 5. However, Karigane must have intended to follow
this line when he played 5.

White 12. High play because of his low position in the lower left.
He should not play in the upper left because of the black attacks at A
and B. Points 12 and 13 are miai (when one player takes one, the other
player plays the other, of equal value), so that white gets the
excellent point 14.

White 16: Separating the black stones in preparation for the
invasion 22.

Black 25: Cannot play hane, because then white would draw back at
B and then play either the cut at 25 or cap at 30.

White 26: A light play.

White 28: He follows the proverb by striking at the waist of the
knights move, and by sacrificing one stone builds a huge moyo (area of
influence) in the centre of the board. Shusai also contrives sente by
the threat on the life of the isolated black group, which must connect
with 35.

White 36 starts to build the other side of his moyo.

Black 39 allows him to connect at 41 with sente.

Black 43: The white moyo is too big for Black to be content with a
small reduction from the outside; he must invade deeply into it.

White 46: If he plays at 60, black can live easily with the threat
at 53.

Black 47: He could play at 48 for a small life after white 60,
black 58.

Black 53: At this point the game was adjourned at the end of the
first days play. The next three moves took two hours - even after the
nights analysis.

Black 61 ignores the chance of playing ko at 69.

White 66: Black now has no life.

Black 67: Karigane spent three hours on this move, deciding how
best to attack the encircling white stones.

White 158 extracts the last ounce of profit from his sacrifices at
128 and 140.

By this stage Karigane was seriously short of time, and made several
mistakes through the pressure on him. He eventually had to give up when
his 16 hours were finished. Commentators felt, however, that the game
was already won for Shusai at this stage, and that the margin would have
been around 5 points.

This article is from the
British Go Journal
Issue 13[1]
which is one of a series[3] of back issues now available on the web.

Last updated Thu Apr 25 2013. If you have any comments, please email the webmaster on web-master AT britgo DOT org.